Microsoft CEO To Visit China Amid Antitrust Issues

Satya Nadella, chief executive officer for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), plans to visit China, even amid antitrust probe. At press time, there is no word on why he is paying a visit to China and if he will visit any government representatives of the company.

A spokesperson for the tech company has yet to confirm whether or not Nadella will actually pay the visit. It was explained Microsoft does not comment on executive travel plans.

China has one eye on Microsoft

Microsoft has been one of the foreign companies that is under the close watch of Chinese officials. The country wants to enforce a 2008 anti-monopoly law that a few critics claim is being used to target oversea companies. Typically, CEOs from foreign countries come to visit the second-biggest economy in the world to keep business and political ties strong. If it is true Nadella plans on visiting China as reports suggest, it would be the second time a key tech executive visited the country over troubled times.

Derek Aberle, president of QUALCOMM, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM), met up with the country’s National Development and Reform Commission last week in hopes of trying to stop the scrutiny. Prior to Nadella’s reign as Microsoft CEO, his predecessor Steve Ballmer occasionally visited to China. He limited his visits to a country where Microsoft’s products were often pirated. He even admitted that his company made more money from the Netherlands than China. Microsoft’s Deputy General Counsel Mary Snapp already paid a visit to Beijing officials in early August.

China’s reason for probe

Even with the excessive amount of piracy in China, SAIC still launched a probe against Microsoft over purported broken anti-Monopoly laws that regarded things like compatibility, document authentication, and bundling for Windows operating system and Office suite applications.

Just a few days ago, Zhang Mao (lead of SAIC) admitted the company kept a focus on Microsoft.